14 Opposition MPs suspended for disrupting Parliament proceedings

New Delhi: The Parliament plunged into chaos on Thursday after 14 Opposition members faced suspension for the remainder of the session for disrupting proceedings, triggering a heated exchange between political rivals. The suspension followed a major security breach that occurred the day before, heightening tensions within the legislative body.

Earlier, a total of 14 members from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha were suspended, prompting the Opposition to label the move as “unethical” and mount a scathing attack on the ruling government. Among those suspended from the Lower House were nine from the Congress party, two from the CPM, one from the CPI, and two from the DMK. However, the suspension of one of the MPs was withdrawn later.

The nine Congress MPs, including Benny Behanan, VK Sreekandan, Mohammad Jawed, and Manickam Tagore, faced suspension for what was termed as “unruly conduct.” In a resolution passed with a voice vote, the Lok Sabha suspended an additional five Congress members - TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, Jothi Mani, and Ramya Haridas - for displaying “utter disregard to the chair’s directions” for the remainder of the Parliament’s Winter Session.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi expressed concern, stating, “The above-mentioned members should be suspended from the service of the house for the remainder of the session.”

In a parallel development, Opposition members PR Natarajan, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, K Subrahmanyam, SR Parthiban, and S Venkatesan, hailing from Tamil Nadu and representing DMK, CPI(M), and CPI, were also suspended from Lok Sabha for “unruly conduct.”

However, later the Lok Sabha withdrew the suspension of Parthiban as he was not present in the House and his name was included by mistake.

“I have requested the Speaker to drop the name of the member as it was a case of mistaken identity,” Joshi said.

The Parliament, particularly the Lok Sabha, witnessed four adjournments on the same day amid protests over the security breach that caused panic on the previous day.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar took a similar stance by suspending senior Trinamool Congress member Derek O’Brien from the Upper House. The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till Friday amidst protests by Opposition members over O’Brien’s suspension.

Upon reassembling, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar instructed the suspended member to leave the House, citing serious violations and wilful defiance of the order. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal subsequently moved a resolution under Rule 192 to refer the issue to the committee of privileges of the Rajya Sabha.

“The motion is adopted. The matter stands referred to the committee of privileges of the Rajya Sabha for examination, investigation, and report within three months,” stated Dhankhar.

Opposition members from both Houses are now demanding a detailed investigation into the security breach, further insisting on statements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the Floor of the House. The developments have intensified the political atmosphere within the Parliament.

Meanwhile, the government has asked the Opposition not to “politicise” the “grave national issue”.

Joshi said “We all agree” that the unfortunate incident on Wednesday was a serious one concerning the safety and security of MPs.

The minister said it should be appreciated that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla promptly held a meeting with floor leaders following the incident and listened to the suggestions for further strengthening Parliament security.

Some of the suggestions given by MPs have already been implemented, he said, and noted that the Speaker himself has stated that further measures will be taken to strengthen the security of Parliament.

“In my opinion, this matter concerns all of us and we have to speak in one voice,” Joshi said.

On such a “grave national issue”, no politics is expected to be done by anyone, the minister asserted. Joshi called for rising above party politics.